Riley's little problem
by SylverRayne
Summary: Riley never seems to luck out but what happens when he runs into a teen runaway with a lot of problems. A great big adventure just for him. RileyXOC
1. Riley\'s problem

**A/N: I do NOT own National Treasure. I do, however, own the plot and the OC and would appreciate if you didn't steal them.**

**National Treasure Story**

**By: AutumnsAshes**

**Chapter 1 – Riley's Big Problem**

Six months had passed since the great treasure was found and Ben, Abigail and Riley were still attending openings for new museum exhibits. It was apparent that Ben and Abigail loved it but Riley, that's a different story. Riley got sick of museums after the first month of finding that blasted treasure. Riley was bored with everything, he needed change he needed something new. After his first big adventure all he wanted was more, and he didn't care what kind of adventure it was. But alas, here he was sitting in some random museum in New York. How long had they been there for? One hour, maybe two? How long could it possibly take to open an exhibit, this was getting ridiculous. He started to twiddle his thumbs to keep himself occupied. All he wanted right now was to go back to his house, his car, and his normal life… with perhaps some adventure shaken up into it. Oh how he missed his car, sure it had only been three days since he was parted from it but to him it felt like… well forever.

Riley was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of steady clapping. Finally, it was finished. Jumping to his feet he left the building which he so greatly despised. He couldn't stay in that stuffy museum any longer. Sighing to himself he stepped out into the cool night air and ran his fingers through his messy brown hair. There would be a party now to follow the opening but Riley didn't want to go. Looking at his watch he concluded that he had three to four hours to do nothing because Ben and Abigail were his only ride back to the hotel and they wouldn't miss the party for the world. Riley slumped his shoulders in defeat, parties were just not his thing and what was he to do for four hours in this big city. Well… strolling around in an unfamiliar city sounded good enough to him, so off he went.

Two hours passed and Riley found nothing exciting. What a dull city, wasn't this New York, the city where anyone could do anything and have as much fun as they wanted. All Riley saw was a chain of fast food restaurants, office buildings and hardware stores. For a while Riley thought that he might be lost but then he turned a corner and saw the museum off in the distance. He would be able to get there in approximately twenty minutes. He picked up his pace and walked quickly down the road passing quite a few dark alleyways on the way. When he was about ten minutes away he saw Ben and Abby coming out of the museum. They must have left the party early. Riley was just about to run up to them when someone slammed into him from behind making him loose his balance and fall to the hard cement sidewalk. He looked up to see a teenager wearing a black baseball hat running away… with his wallet. He pulled himself off the ground and bolted down the street after the kid yelling for people to stop the thief. Ben and Abigail heard the commotion from down the street and ran to help their friend. It was hard for Riley to keep up with the thief because they kept running through traffic and turning corners. Then when Riley had just barely caught up the kid turned another corner into an abandoned alley, hopped a fence and was gone by the time Riley got there.

Now, to say that Riley was angry would be an understatement because he was royally pissed off. He couldn't even see what the kid looked like because of the hat that shadowed their face. He cursed out loud uncharacteristically and punched the wall beside him. Unfortunately the impact was too much and his knuckles were bruised badly within seconds. He quickly took his injured hand in the other and cradled it to his chest. This was just not his day. By now Ben and Abigail had caught up to him and brought him back to the museum where the car was. Ben and Abby felt bad for their companion and really wanted to help but there wasn't much that they could do, till tomorrow, so they drove him back to the hotel they were staying in, perhaps some sleep would make Riley feel better.

That's the end of chapter one, hope you all enjoyed it, please review and tell me what you thought.

AutumnsAshes


	2. The life of a Runaway

**A/N: I do NOT own National Treasure. I do, however, own the plot and the OC and would appreciate if you didn't steal them.**

**National Treasure Story**

**By: AutumnsAshes**

**Chapter 2 – The Life of a Runaway**

Living on the streets was never easy for Raelin, but as any other she grew accustomed to it. Shoplifting, drug dealing, and mugging, she had to do it all to survive. It was never like this before though. No, for most of her life Raelin was happy. She had the perfect life, good grades, good friends, and a close relationship with her family. They did everything together and it seemed that nothing could damage the bond they all had. But one fatal accident was enough to change that. Raelin's older brother, the one she was closest to, was involved in a terrible car accident. The other passengers in the car were severely injured but her brother didn't make it… he didn't even have a chance. This incident crushed her incredibly and she closed up since she found out. Freakish depressions started to consume her soul. Her grades were dropping, she rarely spoke to her friends anymore and things kept getting even worse from there. Her parents started bickering about the smallest things. Those soon after turned into huge fights up to the point where they got a divorce. Now she lived with her mother who was constantly pressuring her to go back to school, discouraging her and everything else of that sort.

At this point Raelin finally cracked and ran away. Of course she took some money with her, but that would only last so long. She rationed her money and traveled all the way to New York from where she lived back in Ohio. It was there when she finally ran out of cash. Shoplifting and mugging became habits for her as she carried them out each and every day. She hated doing it though, she didn't want any of this to happen, it wasn't supposed to turn out this way. Every night she would cry herself to sleep and wish things were the way they used to be, although her wishes would never come true. A year went by and Raelin met someone who provided her with money if she would deal drugs to clients of his. At first she opposed the offer, it was wrong but then again she mugged people and shoplifted, that was wrong too and she desperately needed money so she reconsidered and took the job. This too became part of her daily routine, and it had all been going well… up until tonight.

One of her boss' clients wouldn't pay the money that they owed him so Raelin had to go back to her boss empty handed. This angered her boss immensely. He beat her for an hour straight using mainly his fists and legs but occasionally he took out a switchblade and would slash at her arms. After he was satisfied he kicked her in the stomach one last time and left her lying in a bloody heap. She was in so much pain she could hardly move, nor could she speak. She had no one that would help her and she doubted anyone would help even if she was able to cry out for it. This was New York and it was 11:00 at night and Raelin was completely alone. She painfully reached out and grabbed her backpack with her few most treasured items and clutched it close to her heart as she curled up and let sleep consume her.

Please review and tell me what you thought, constrictive criticism is welcomed. And just so you all know the first few chapters are like a… prologue I guess so they might seem odd the way their written but I will change it to normal writing format when it gets to either chapter three or four. (If you didn't understand that then just forget it.) Anyhow, review please!


	3. An Unexpected Meeting

**A/N: I do NOT own National Treasure. I do, however, own the plot and the OC and would appreciate if you didn't steal them.**

**National Treasure Story**

**By: AutumnsAshes**

**Chapter 3 – An Unexpected Meeting**

The morning after Riley was mugged Ben, Abby and he had gone to the police station to see if they could help. They told the police of Riley's predicament but the pompous police chief just puffed up and laughed. He told them that muggings' were a common thing and to search for someone with the description 'a kid in a baseball hat' would be ridiculous. Riley's temper began to rise again as the air-headed self absorbed officer continued to mock them. He swore he could see doughnut crumbs falling of his massive beard for each work he spoke. From there Riley had a few colourful things to say to the officer before they got kicked out of the building. How could a police chief just openly laugh at a distressed citizen like that? What was this world coming to? Abigail was quite surprised at her friends sudden out burst but then again she couldn't blame him. He had lost his bank card, ID, money and … the pink slip to his car. Now she knew why he was so uptight, he loves that car more than anything in the world. Abigail sighed and hoped he would find something or someone to get his mind off that car. Ben, being Riley's best friend, tried to lighten Riley's anguish so he took them out for some wings. It was nearing 7:00 and they hadn't had supper either so why not?

The three friends spent three and a half hours talking and reminiscing on good times they had in the past. Riley seemed a bit better but Ben and Abby were still able to see through his façade, and it was clear that he was still upset. They left soon after and started on their way back to the hotel. They were walking past an alley when Riley abruptly stopped. There lying in the alley was the kid who mugged him. Riley furrowed his eyebrows and paced up to the sleeping thief before picking him/her up by the collar and slamming him/her against the wall. This action woke the teen and made him/her yelp when their back made contact with the wall. She/he looked up into the angry eyes of the man who he/she had mugged the night before.

"Where is my wallet?" He asked forcefully. The teen cowered at the harsh tone of his voice but couldn't respond. She/he was still in to much pain from the beating she/he got earlier that night. Riley's saw the bag grasped firmly in the thief's hands and motioned for Ben to check it. Ben was hesitant at first, this was going a little too far, what happened to the goofy care-free Riley he knew two days ago. Still, Riley was his best friend, so he managed to get the bag out of the thief's hands and started looking through it. The teen's eyes widened and she/he started to panic, even it hurt like hell, and she/he had to have his /her bag. Ben eventually found Riley's wallet with everything in it. He had also found a picture in the bag of a family. There was a mom, a dad, two boys and a girl. Ben tore his eyes away from the picture when he heard a soft whimper from the direction Riley was in.

"Please don't take it… It's all I have left." The teen hoarsely whispered with tears streaming down his/her face. It had taken all of his/her energy to force out those words before she/he passed out. The thief's head dropped down to his/her chest and the black baseball hat fell off of her/his head. Riley's confused face changed to one filled with complete and utter shock. The thief was a girl who looked to be about 17 or so. But that wasn't what shocked him the most. Her body was covered in dark blue and purple bruises and there were also some cuts that were still bleeding pretty badly. It was hard to tell the dried blood from the dirt. Riley looked over to see Ben with the same look on his face before he recovered and went to help her. First he made sure to check her pulse then he flipped her over and lifted her shirt slightly so they could check her stomach, and it was even worse. It seemed like her skin had completely changed from a fleshy colour to blue and purple. They then noticed the cut marks all over her arms and the dried blood coming down from her mouth. The scary thing was that all the bruises and blood were fresh.

Ben assured Riley that nothing on this girl was caused by him but Riley still felt numerous pang's of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Ben and Riley decided that they would help her out and take care of her. Based on her appearance they assumed she lived on the street. So, Ben, being the stronger out of the two, picked her up and the headed back to the hotel where Abby was most likely waiting for them. Maybe she would know what to do.

Well that was a depressing chapter and yes I realize Riley is out of character but I have an explanation that ties into the story and the movie so just wait for that. Please Review.


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